Anyone whose razor has magically slipped during shaving and nicked their face or neck understands how stubborn a tiny cut can be.
After the requisite blotting with toilet paper, hopping on one-foot with your head turned so the blood doesn’t drip on your clothes, and a few obligatory curse words $%&* some turn to Band-Aids for cessation of the flow of blood.
Nothing like sporting a fresh, ugly brown bandage on your face when you head into the day–I mean that’s great for curb appeal, right?
Great news, men, there’s a better solution.
Styptic pencils are back en vogue and are much more effective than Band-Aids for small nicks!
Why a Styptic Pencil is Best to Quickly Stop Bleeding After Shaving
In the battle of Band-Aids vs. styptic pencils, the latter offers some potent advantages. Styptic pencils, although lesser known, have actually been on the shaving scene for some time. You may recall your grandfather keeping an alum block or stick in his shaving kit. This is essentially a rudimentary form of the modern styptic pencil.
Styptic pencils of the past could be used once or twice, but poor manufacturing quality and packaging would leave a crumbly, wet mess in the shaver’s palm. Fortunately, their 21st century counterparts have been better designed to meet the demands of a modern gentleman.
Rather than using an entire Band-Aid for a miniscule nick, a styptic pencil can be applied to the affected area, and usually stops the flow of blood within a few seconds.
And now, a moment for our environment. Band-Aids are not always biodegradable, and add to the ever-increasing trash pile of last generation iPhones and Al Gore’s campaign badges. Destroying the environment for a close shave isn’t really cool, so we suggest that you save the wound dressings for the real emergencies.
Glyder on the other hand is a styptic pencil in a protective casing made with recycled materials, which offers a longer lasting, portable solution to razor cuts. For most shaving nicks, there is no need for a Band-Aid at all, and bleeding can be stopped with little more than a styptic pencil.
If there’s a LOT of blood…
For more severe cuts, you may have to apply firm pressure to the wound, clean it with antiseptic, and dress it with a sterile bandage. This kind of injury is rare, but it can happen, so we don’t suggest multitasking while shaving.
Trying to beat your Candy Crush score while shaving your neckline with a straight razor may feel great at the time, but the nurse at ER won’t be so impressed.
I actually had this exact problem happen a few weeks ago. So here’s the story…
I had just gotten home after a long day at work, and the weather had just began getting cold enough to wear you need to wear a jacket at night. I just picked up a really awesome Christmas gift, and thought I’d be able to run it in the house before throwing on my jacket.
I was wrong. While scurrying to get through the door, I ran my arm across one of the box staples–you know, the thick kinds that are really hard to pull out! Blood was running down my arm and all over the package, my shirt, and the garage! It was everywhere.
I rushed into the bathroom and tried to apply a Band-Aid, because I wasn’t thinking about Glyder being appropriate for something with this much blood.
After a few times of applying and reapplying, the cut just wouldn’t stop bleeding. Keep in mind, this wasn’t a deep cut. Deep cuts may require medical attention and you should never rely on Glyder to help with anything that could be serious or life threatening.
So after ripping off the third or fourth bandage, I applied Glyder to my cut. I used it once, wiped up the dried blood, and used it a second time. Finally!
The blood began to clot, and to my surprise it stayed that way–even after cleaning it out with soap and water!
The Skinny: When to Use a Bandage Versus Glyder
Bandages are used primarily to protect the wound from dirt, exposure to air, water, or sunlight. They are meant to be able to insulate the exposed skin from interacting with cotton sweatshirts, fleecy pajamas, and hopefully add an extra layer of defense against pet claws. Bandages are not adequate on their own to stop all bleeding. After bleeding has “stopped” cuts still continue to seep small amounts of blood. However, a bandage will absorb this and protect your clothing.
In reality, in order to give your bandages the best chance to not be a gooey mess, you will need to use a styptic pencil like Glyder to do the heavy lifting. Then, gracefully and gently apply a proper bandage to help your cut heal correctly.